Photo: The 318 Restaurant Week special at Frank’s Pizza Napoletana.
We’re three days into 318 Restaurant Week 2018, which runs March 13-17, and there’s a lot to digest (sorry!). So far, I’ve eaten Chef Cindy Gleason Johnson’s take on Shreveport-style stuffed shrimp at Southern Faire (see the offer here) and the Napoli panino combo from Frank’s Pizza Napoletana (see the offer here). Both were really enjoyable experiences, but for different reasons.
Dining at Southern Faire makes you feel like a part of some secret club, as the eatery is housed in a historic Highland cottage and isn’t usually open to the public. Johnson’s stuffed shrimp are enormous, as they should be to qualify as “Shreveport-style.” The breading and filling are more of a cornbread stuffing than you’d expect from, for example, Eddie’s Seafood and Soul Food or Brother’s Seafood. The shrimp are not spicy compared to the stuffed shrimp that you’d eat at either of those places, nor is the tartar sauce, but they’re still delicious. Three shrimp are included per serving, plus sweet potato fries and coleslaw. It’s a tasty and really filling meal.
The deal at Frank’s Pizza Napoletana is just that: a great deal. Get a panini stuffed with all of the flavors of a muffaletta (olive tapenade, homemade mozzarella, Soppressata and Prosciutto di Parma) plus roasted red and yellow peppers, a generous portion of any salad and a scoop of house-made gelato – all for $10. Depending on which salad you select, this deal amounts to a 25%-40% discount. And it’s tasty.
There have definitely been some breakout successes of 318 Restaurant Week. Loving This Life Jada‘s sold-out event at Parish Taceaux was apparently a riot on Tuesday night. The sold-out Skinny Louisiana event at Riverview Restaurant and Brewhouse on Wednesday night brought health-conscious diners into the 318 Restaurant Week fold. Biscotti’s at Lewis Gifts reported that they sold out of their signature roast beef po’ boys in the first hour of 318 Restaurant Week, which is wild (they’ve since cooked up more of their New Orleans-style roast beef, which genuinely is New Orleans-style). El Mono is apparently hopping for lunch, according to several friends who dined there on Wednesday.
What about you, 20×49.com reader? Have you tried any of the 37 lunch and dinner specials being offered by local restaurants? Let us know what you enjoyed in the comments.
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